Isaiah 63–64

CHAPTER 63

Vengeance of Yahweh

¹Who is this who comes from ^aEdom,

With ^bgarments of ¹glowing colors from ^cBozrah,

This One who is majestic in His clothing,

²Marching in the greatness of His power?

“It is I who speak in righteousness, ^dmighty to save.”

²Why is Your clothing red,

And Your garments like the one who ^atreads in the wine press?

³“^aI have trodden the wine trough alone,

And from the peoples there was no man with Me.

I also ^btrod them in My anger

And ^ctrampled them in My wrath;

And ^dtheir ¹lifeblood is sprinkled on My garments,

And I ²stained all My clothes.

⁴“For the ^aday of vengeance was in My heart,

And My year of redemption has come.

⁵“I looked, and there was ^ano one to help,

And I was astonished, and there was no one to uphold;

So My ^bown arm brought salvation to Me,

And My wrath upheld Me.

⁶“I ^atrod down the peoples in My anger

And made them ^bdrunk in My wrath,

And I brought down their lifeblood to the earth.”

Remember the Lovingkindness of Yahweh

⁷I shall bring to remembrance the ^alovingkindnesses of Yahweh, the praises of Yahweh,

According to all the ways that Yahweh has dealt bountifully with us,

And the abundant ^bgoodness toward the house of Israel,

Which He has dealt bountifully to them according to His ^ccompassion

And according to the abundance of His lovingkindnesses.

⁸And He said, “Surely, they are ^aMy people,

Sons who will not deal falsely.”

So He became their ^bSavior.

⁹In all their distress ^1aHe was distressed,

And the ^bangel of His presence saved them;

In His ^clove and in His mercy He ^dredeemed them,

And He ^elifted them and carried them all the ancient days.

¹⁰But they ^arebelled

And grieved His ^bHoly Spirit;

Therefore He turned Himself to become their enemy;

He fought against them.

¹¹Then ^aHis people remembered the ancient days, of Moses.

Where is ^bHe who brought them up out of the sea with the ¹shepherds of His flock?

Where is He who ^cput His Holy Spirit in the midst of ²them,

¹²Who caused His ^aglorious arm to go at the right hand of Moses,

Who ^bsplit the waters before them to make for Himself an everlasting name,

¹³Who led them through the depths?

Like the horse in the wilderness, they did not ^astumble;

¹⁴As the cattle which go down into the valley,

The Spirit of ^aYahweh gave ¹them rest.

So You ^bled Your people,

To make for Yourself a glorious name.

Prayer for Mercy and Help

^15aLook down from heaven and see from Your holy and glorious ^bhabitation;

Where are Your ^czeal and Your mighty deeds?

The ^dtumults within You and Your compassion are restrained toward me.

¹⁶For You are our ^aFather, though ^bAbraham does not know us

And Israel does not recognize us.

You, O Yahweh, are our Father,

Our ^cRedeemer from everlasting is Your name.

¹⁷Why, O Yahweh, do You ^acause us to stray from Your ways

And ^bstiffen our heart from fearing You?

^cReturn for the sake of Your slaves, the tribes of Your inheritance.

¹⁸Your holy people possessed Your sanctuary for a little while;

Our adversaries have ^atrodden it down.

¹⁹We have become like those over whom You have never ruled,

Like those who were not called by Your name.

CHAPTER 64

¹¹Oh, that You would rend the heavens and ^acome down,

That the mountains might ^bquake at Your presence—

²¹As fire kindles the brushwood, as fire causes water to boil—

To make Your name known to Your adversaries,

That the ^anations may tremble at Your presence!

³When You did ^aawesome things for which we did not hope,

You came down; the mountains quaked at Your presence.

⁴For from ancient times ^athey have not heard or given ear,

Nor has the eye seen a God besides You,

Who acts in behalf of the one who ^bwaits for Him.

⁵You ^ameet him who rejoices and ^bdoes righteousness,

Who ^cremembers You in Your ways.

Behold, ^dYou were angry; indeed we have sinned—

We continued in them a long time—

And shall we be saved?

⁶For all of us have become like one who is ^aunclean,

And all our ^brighteous deeds are like a filthy garment;

And all of us ^cwither like a leaf,

And our ^diniquities, like the wind, carry us away.

⁷There is ^ano one who calls on Your name,

Who awakens himself to take hold of You,

For You have ^bhidden Your face from us

And have ¹melted us into the hand of our iniquities.

⁸But now, O Yahweh, ^aYou are our Father;

We are the ^bclay, and You our potter;

And all of us are the ^cwork of Your hand.

⁹Do not be ^aangry beyond measure, O Yahweh,

^bNor remember iniquity forever;

Behold, look now, all of us are ^cYour people.

¹⁰Your ^aholy cities have become a ^bwilderness;

Zion has become a wilderness,

Jerusalem a desolation.

¹¹Our holy and glorious ^ahouse,

Where our fathers praised You,

Has been burned by fire;

And ^ball our precious things have become a waste place.

¹²Will You ^arestrain Yourself at these things, O Yahweh?

Will You keep silent and afflict us beyond measure?